The Shadow Army Behind Bashir’s Genocide in Sudan

This disturbing picture was taken in March, 1993, in Sudan under the leadership of President Omar Al-Bashir. The image has become a symbol of death and hunger in the world. It shows a Sudanese girl dying of hunger, while a vulture patiently waits for her death to eat her remains. An added shocking aspect of this grotesque story is that photographer Kevin Carter committed suicide in July, 1994, soon after winning the Pulitzer Prize for this photo. Carter committed suicide due to extreme depression resulting in large part from what he had witnessed in Sudan including the scene with the starving little girl and the waiting vulture.

For over a century, successive Arab regimes ruled Sudan in the name of Islam, advancing Arab ‘civilization’, continually committing genocide against the indigenous Africans of the Sudan. These genocides occurred between the Mahdism era of the 1880s and the first Southern Sudan civil war from 1955-1972 during which an estimated half million people died. That ended with the Addis Ababa Peace Agreement. The second civil war started in 1983 and claimed an estimated 1.5 million lives ending in 2005 with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Most of these genocides have not been fully documented. Noted Sudan researcher and analyst Eric Reeves stated in January 2019, that the NCP/Muslim Brotherhood regime under the leadership of President Bashir committed three genocides in South Sudan, Nuba Mountains, and Darfur.[1]

The Darfur genocide continues unabated during the current massive demonstrations in Sudan. President Bashir’s militias with the presence of Russian “green men” in Khartoum continue killing protesters and the people of Darfur.[2] President Bashir has the means of reaching those Darfur people that live outside of the region. Late in December, 2018, he sent his militias operating from Libya to kill over 100 gold miners in Kouri Bougoudi, Northern Chad. This incident occurred while these gold miners were travelling in 13 Toyota Pickup trucks from the mining area to Tine, on the border of Sudan. The armed militias intercepted them about 30 kms from the mining area, kiling them and burning their vehicles.

Sudan Protests Began in Bashir’s Hometown and Spread Across the Country and the World

The ongoing demonstrations in Sudan first erupted on December 19, 2018, in Atbara, Nile State. This first protest started from President Bashir’s hometown and rapidly spread to the entire country and across the globe. The Sudanese Diaspora organized similar solidarity demonstrations in Washington DC, Paris, London, and Toronto. This is the first time that Sudanese people were united against the extremist Islamic regime.

These demonstrations show that the people of Sudan are united and collectively demanding regime change. This is also the first-time protesters called for the rejection of Sudan’s traditional political parties such as the Uma Party led by Assadiq Al-Mahdi, and the Democratic Union Party led by Ali Oman al-Merghani. The demonstrators rejected the old political party leaders and demanded a new government ruled by emerging political figures. This is not only the beginning of the end of Muslim Brotherhood rule in Sudan but would put an end to the despotic regime from its roots. These are among the objectives of the Sudan United Movement Manifesto.

Amid these daily coordinated protests and clashes, President Bashir went on a media campaign with visits to Muslim Brotherhood supporter Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Qatar and Egyptian President al-Sisi in Cairo, whom he met twice in one month. Bashir blames the roiling protests on the Arab Spring of 2011. But the reality is he may be losing his grip on the country, despite brutal suppression of these protest. A VoA report cited Amnesty International Sudan researcher Ahmed Elzobier saying, “the situation will get worse if no political solution is found”.[3]

“We can imagine the magnitude and the scale of the human right violations now in Sudan. Our expectation is this will continue because the government of Sudan is not willing to give any concession to the protesters or provide any kind of political resolution to resolve this conflict.”

Darfur University Students falsely accused of being Israeli-trained saboteurs

These demonstrations were triggered by shortages of fuel, bread, and rising prices. Despite this fact, the regime’s security apparatus chose to target the people of Darfur by falsely accusing them of conspiracy with Israel to destroy Sudan. Some university students were arrested and threatened by the security services.

These youths faced threats endangering their lives and those of their families if they did not confess that they belonged to a cell of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur. They were accused of having been trained and sent from Israel to cause sabotage, destruction, and assassinations in Sudan. These false accusations are not accepted by anyone, not even members of the Muslim Brotherhood themselves, because they lack believable intelligence. How could they come from Israel and why were they not arrested by the security forces prior to the eruption of demonstrations? How did they carry all these weapons, and not kill anyone? Is Israel incapable of destroying the Muslim Brotherhood regime in Khartoum if it wanted to do so?

The NCP/Muslim Brotherhood regime in Sudan is responsible for killing more than 600,000 Darfuris[4],[5], displacing over five million from their homes leaving many to live in UNAMID Internally Displaced Persons camps. The regime’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF/Janjaweed militias) raped thousands of women in Tabit and elsewhere in Darfur[6], [7]. President Bashir confessed to killing some ten thousand people from Darfur saying that their hands were stained with the blood of the innocent people of Darfur[8], [9]. Bashir’s accusations against the Darfur people of treason, sabotage, and acting as mercenaries is unacceptable. The World Islamic Movement is doing everything possible to maintain Bashir’s NCP/Muslim Brotherhood regime to advance their Caliphate project in the Sahel Africa region.[10]

The Emergence of Bashir’s Shadow Army Suppressing Protests calling for Regime Change

It is now clear, and documented in photographs, that the people who shot and killed demonstrators are from armed factions of the Islamic Movement led by the General Union of Sudanese students. These student members of the NCP are trained and armed to kill. They are indoctrinated with fanatic Islamic religious doctrine. They are taught that anyone who is not from the Muslim Brotherhood is an enemy and sub-human. Therefore, they have no value, and may be killed. This is the essence of what Hassan Al-Bana and Sayyid Qutb called for under the banner of the Muslim Brotherhood.[11] In addition, these students think that the people's revolution is aimed at killing them; therefore, they must defend their existence. Their work in the past was to suppress student demonstrations in universities and perhaps their success motivated them to confront all the Sudanese people. These violent youth organizations were supervised by Ali Osman Mohammed Taha and Awad Al-Jaz.[12]

We have written about the Khartoum regime’s Rapid Support Force (RSF/Janjaweed) militias recruiting Islamic terrorist groups from different parts of the world to protect the regime. They have also recruited renegade Christian militias such as Uganda’s Lord Resistance Army to fight in the Sudan regime’s proxy wars. In addition, the regime organized secret militias called “shadow army.” This secret army was formed to protect the Islamic movement.

The NCP members of this “secret army” appear in civilian clothes, driving civilian cars. They are well-armed, shooting and killing protesters.[13] Sometimes they wear Sudanese Armed Forces uniforms, police uniforms, and at other times wear RSF/Janjaweed militia uniforms.

This “shadow army “remained hidden throughout the years of the Muslim Brotherhood rule first appeared in September 2013 in demonstrations that killed over 300 people and wounded hundreds of others. Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, the former Vice President of the Sudan and a senior member of the NCP, in his interview on Channel 24, revealed the existence of the “shadow army” and its role to protect the Islamic Movement, senior members of the state, and wealthy NCP businessmen. Taha revealed that the secret army was ready to serve the objectives of the movement. The “shadow army” was formed prior to President Bashir’s coup that brought the current regime to power in 1989.[14] The cadres and the “shadow army” were trained in Iran under the leadership of Nafie Ali Nafie and Qutbi al-Mahdi. Qutbi Al-Mahdi was sent by the NCP regime as the head of a delegation to meet with the leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, and brought him to Sudan in 1990s. These shadow army militias are killing the demonstrators in the streets, conducting sabotage which the regime blames on the protesters.

The strength of the “shadow army “is still unknown, but Taha said that it can take control and secure the state in case anything happened to the regular security forces.[15] This “shadow army” has no identified bases. They are a group of Islamic militants trained in Jihad and working in the country as civilians in different government institutions and in the private sector. Where does the financing of this secret army come from? The question of the Sudan’s oil money is also unknown. There is an estimated budget for the “shadow army” part of the $500 billion of investment funds administered by Dr Awad al-Jaz.[16] These funds are derived from oil revenues and invested in foreign company shares and banks. These funds are considered as security money for retirement of senior members in case of regime collapse.

The Sudan Protests are Met with Silence by the International Community

The death toll in the five weeks of protests to date in Sudan is over 60 people killed. Several thousand have been wounded. Another thousand people are reported missing including 90 girls. Bashir’s militias even resort to killing medical doctors who try to save protesters’ lives.[17] Based on Sudan’s past demonstrations in 1964 and 1985, the army intervened dissolving the existing regimes saving the country from collapsing. Many think the army could play a similar role now. Unfortunately, the army of today has been demoted and replaced by various NCP regime militias and the “shadow army” that are loyal to the Bashir regime.

The international community, especially the UN and African Union, remain silent in the face of these killings, mass arrests, tortures, and imprisonments of innocent and unarmed peaceful protesters. What have the UN, AU, and the international Community done to combat the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing in Darfur, South Kordofan, the Blue Nile state in Sudan? The International Criminal Court at the Hague handed down two indictments against Sudan’s President Bashir and the NCP/Muslim Brotherhood leadership in 2009 and 2010 for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur only to have 33 signatories of the Treaty of Rome fail to arrest him.[18]

We are in a period of global transition away from enforcement of UN Conventions on Human rights and Genocide that were directed at preventing genocide and war crimes from occurring. The objective was to ensure that the people of world would live peacefully. The world is faced with Islamist extremist ideologies and state sponsors of global Islamic terrorism that super power - led coalitions have failed to overcome at huge costs in loss of lives and human rights.

A Sudan Rapper Gives Truth to Power about the Wave of Protests.

MEMRI published the translation of lyrics by Sudan Rapper Aziz conveyed in a video that he uploaded to the internet on January 8, 2019. The lyrics convey the objective behind the wave of daily protests throughout Sudan against the NCP/Muslim Brotherhood regime of President Bashir.[19]

In his song, the rapper says that he is sending a message from people “dying in a dead country [whose] mental abilities have been disrespected for a long time.” He said that the Sudanese people are yearning for change, and that justice, peace, and freedom are their objectives. He lamented the fact that the government has responded to the protests with bullets and tear gas, and he said: “Down with the government of corruption and distress . . . Down with the Islamist government.”

Aziz: A few words which have been taken from pieces of paper

to express the feelings of people who are dying in a dead country –

people whose mental abilities have been disrespected for a long time.

Generation after generation, the people have been yearning for change.

In a brief summary, the people are protesting against the regime.

Women, men, old, and young…

All have come out singing.

Justice, peace, and freedom are our objective.

Unfortunately, the sound of bullets was the response.

Martyr after martyr… Unfortunately, the percentage is increasing every time,

just because they are demanding their rights – demanding the bare minimum.

The martyr who sacrifices his blood for his country [would have] lived happily.

A racist government controlled the minds of the previous generation

and made them forget the cause.

It kept the masses silent and killed so many.

[…]

The government dared us to go out to the square,

and before we finished talking, it fired at us tear gas bombs.

Terrorism, robbery, beating, and stealing are taking place everywhere.

Down, down, down with the government of the Islamists.

In life, there is no problem without a solution.

Give the country to its youth and let them become officials.

And to anyone who feels shy and remains silent like the media:

Bullets don’t kill, man. People’s apathy kills.

Conclusion

Since December 19, 2018, the Sudanese people have carried out daily mass protests in Khartoum and in cities across the country calling for President Omar Hassan Ahmed Al-Bashir to step down. These demonstrations were triggered by hyper-inflation, the scarcity of fuel, bread, and the regime’s security agents preventing people from drawing their funds from banks. These peaceful protests were carried out in demonstrations in cities across the country involving many Sudanese people including some members of the ruling National Congress Party.[20] It is not surprising that the despotic Bashir regime security forces responded with such brutality. Since the seizure of power in a military coup in 1989, the NCP/Muslim Brotherhood regime has continually committed genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity on the Sudanese people; chasing people in the streets, shooting them with live bullets, and beating to death others seen in video clips distributed on social media.

The UN, African Union, and the major super powers are willfully blind to what is occurring in Sudan, indifferent to calls for UN Security Council action. Sudan’s NCP/Muslim Brotherhood “embattled regime” receives support from the UAE, Turkey, Qatar and Russia.[21] Perhaps any UN Security Council action would be met with a veto by one of the Permanent Members, Russia or China, protecting the Bashir regime as a base to expand their interests in Sahel Africa.

The authors of this article suggest that the international community, especially US, UK and France, intervene to protect Sudanese people from President Bashir’s “shadow army” militias torturing, shooting and killing peaceful protesters.

[5] Eric Reeves “Now Ten Years Since the UN Offered a Mortality Estimate for the Darfur Genocide” April 22, 2018, http://sudanreeves.org/2018/04/22/now-ten-years-since-the-un-offered-a-morality-estimate-for-the-darfur-genocide/

______________________________________Jerome B Gordon is a Senior Vice President of the New English Review and author of The West Speaks, NER Press 2012. Mr. Gordon is a former US Army intelligence officer who served during the Viet Nam era. He was the co-host and co-producer of weekly The Lisa Benson Show for National Security that aired out of KKNT960 in Phoenix Arizona from 2013 to 2016. He is co-host and co-producer of the Middle East Round Table periodic series on 1330amWEBY, Northwest Florida Talk Radio, Pensacola, Florida.

Lt. Gen. Abdallah is Chairman of the Sudan Unity Movement. He is a native of North Darfur who joined the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) in 1984 and became active in the Nuba Hills and Darfurians resistance movements. In 1989 he joined the Patriotic Salvation Movement in neighboring Chad based in Darfur. He served as an officer in the Chadian army for 23 years. He held senior intelligence and counterterrorism posts including as Coordinator of the Multi-National Joint Task Force of Nigeria, Chad and Niger. He was Coordinator of Pan-Sahel Initiative (PSI) Anti-Terrorism Unit of Chad and Commander of PSI Anti-Terrorism Battalion of Chad 2004. He is a graduate of the Intelligence Officers’ Advanced and Combating Terrorism Courses, US Army Intelligence Center and Schools, Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He was a Counter Terrorism Fellow and a Graduate of the College of International Security Affairs, National Defense University, Washington, DC, 2005. He was an International Fellow and Graduate of the US Army War College, Class of 2008. He was Graduate of Nigeria Armed Forces Command and Staff College Course 22, of the year 2000.

Deborah Martin is a 35-year veteran linguistics specialist and consultant on Sudan culture and affairs.